Dimensions of Cognitive Dissonance and the Level of Job ...

Journal of Education and Practice ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.7, No.21, 2016



Dimensions of Cognitive Dissonance and the Level of Job Satisfaction among Counsellors in Delta and Edo States, Nigeria

Dr. William Akporobaroh Oduh Department of Education, Benson Idahosa University, P.M.B. 1100, Benin City, Nigeria, West Africa

Abstract This study examined the dimensions of cognitive dissonance and the extent to which cognitive dissonance could influence the level of job satisfaction of guidance counsellors. The study was guided by three research questions and one null hypothesis. The design of the study was correlational survey. The population of the study was 158 practising counsellors in public secondary schools in Delta and Edo states. Owing to the small size of the population, there was no sampling as the entire population constituted the sample size. The instrument used for data collection was the Counsellor's Dissonance and Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (CDJSQ). The research questions were answered using percentages and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) while the null hypothesis was tested using the Multiple Regression Analysis. The hypothesis was tested at .05 level of significance. Major findings of the study included: 1.the Nigerian counsellor is experiencing cognitive dissonance, though at various levels; 2.the respondents identified the following as the dimensions of job satisfaction experienced by the Nigerian counsellor: commitment, loyalty, involvement, performance and the desire to quit; 3. it was found that the Nigerian counsellor was satisfied with the job. The study revealed the percentage of the counsellors' level of satisfaction on each of the dimensions investigated; and 4. it was found that the dimensions of cognitive dissonance are significantly related to the level of satisfaction of counsellors on the job. In the same vein, the study identified some implications of the findings to the counselling profession and the education system generally. The observed implications prompted the study to make some recommendations. Keywords: Cognitive dissonance; Dimensions of dissonance; Job satisfaction.

1.

Introduction

Cognition refers to mental awareness while dissonance means disharmony. In the context of the counsellor's job

(the school), cognitive dissonance is perceptible when the psychological and social variables within the

organisational climate are antagonistic to the course of success of the counsellor on the job. It is a drive or

feeling of discomfort caused by holding two or more inconsistent cognitions. Thus, cognitive dissonance is a

psychological term which describes the uncomfortable tension that may come from having conflicting thoughts

at the same time, or from engaging in behaviour that conflicts with one's beliefs. Hence, Idowu & Esere

(2007:45) state that "cognitive dissonance is the psychological conflict arising from holding two or more

incompatible beliefs simultaneously." On his part, Kolo (2006:15) says "dissonance is a state of psychological

discomfort that is aroused when an event occurs which disconfirms any strong expectation". As noted by Alutu

(2005) counsellors in secondary schools in Edo state are made to teach rather than practice counselling for which

they were trained. This is role-conflict and counsellors, like other professionals, compare their professional

expectations with their current job outcomes.

Thus, discrepancy in these expectations creates dissonance or conflict in the counsellor which threatens

the psychological well-being or state of the worker (Abraham, 1999). In a nutshell, it is a condition of conflict or

anxiety resulting from inconsistency between one's beliefs and actions such as opposing the slaughter of animals

and eating meat. In the simplest explanation, cognitive dissonance is having two different and contradicting

beliefs in an individual's brain at the same time. Operationally, therefore, cognitive dissonance is seen as the

psychological tension experienced by the guidance counsellor as sequel to the realisation that he or she is being

made to perform roles for which the counsellor did not train or carrying out activities that are diametrically

opposed to the ethical code or the belief of the counsellor in the school system.

Cognitive dissonance is expressed from the following dimensions. Firstly, psychological tension,

which is the mental anguish experienced by the individual as sequel to the awareness that the person has behaved

stupidly, unethically, immorally, illegally or unconventionally. This distressing mental state occurs when people

do things they would not want to do, or express opinions that are contrary to opinions they are holding. This,

naturally, leads to the second dimension of this construct which is the motivation to reduce the tension. The

situation is analogous to thirst or hunger drive which can only be mitigated by either drinking water or eating

food. However, unlike these simple physiological processes which are reduced through physical actions,

reducing dissonance is a mental and complex process. Reduction of psychological tension is accomplished

through cognitive restructuring by changing the way we think about the world as well as the way we behave.

People who are dissonant could adopt any of the following strategies to mitigate the psychological tension.

Firstly, people change their attitude in order to synchronise their attitude and behaviour with the issue at hand. A

second strategy of this phenomenon is that the dissonant person could add more cognition. Here, for instance, are

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Journal of Education and Practice ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.7, No.21, 2016



two discrepant thoughts that cause dissonance, "I like eating but it can lead to obesity". The person could add the following cognitions in order to reduce dissonance: "eating makes me feel good and helps me stay alive" (Franzoi, 2000). Thirdly, the dissonant person can alter the importance by stating as follows: "it is better to stay alive than to worry about may be, becoming obese" (Franzoi, 2000). Fourthly, a dissonant person could rationalise that there was no alternative to the value of the perceived choice. Using this strategy, the person rationalises that there is little or no choice than to engage in the discrepant behaviour. Finally, the dissonant person could trivialise the importance of the event that culminated in the dissonance.

From the foregoing, if counsellors are compelled to take on roles such as full teaching load, as practised in states like Anambra, Imo, Abia, Delta and Ebony (Okonkwo, 2005); and Edo (Alutu, 2005); appointed to membership of disciplinary committee (Okonkwo, 2005) and even as vice principals or principals (Okonkwo, 2005), it is a clear case of role conflict. The implication of the above identified conflict is that the counsellor cannot effectively perform the guidance services for which he/she has been trained.

The aforementioned dimensions of cognitive dissonance clearly indicate that counsellors in Nigeria are not shielded from the onslaught of this psychological phenomenon. The dimensions also indicate that dissonance occurs when counsellors' activities conform to organisational norms but run contrary to the counsellor's beliefs and professional training. Similarly, the dimensions of dissonance discussed above paint picture of anguish rather than pleasure in the mind of the counsellor. It becomes imperative, therefore, for one to question how satisfied the counsellor has been with his/her counselling job in Nigeria.

Job satisfaction is an indispensable goal every worker aspires to attain during active service and after retiring from the job. This is the sense of inner fulfilment and pride achieved when performing a particular job. It can be conceived as a feeling of accomplishment and worth developed by an employee following the performance on the job.

Commenting on this construct, Akinade (2005:90) sees job satisfaction as: "gaining contentment in a given career or vocation. The satisfaction could be in terms of take home pay, conducive work environment, or co-operative colleagues, and fairness from the establishment or promotion that comes at objective period". This definition agrees with Weiss (2002) who described job satisfaction as how content an individual is with his or her job. On his part, Adeyemo (2003:1) says:

Job satisfaction is a complex and multifaceted concept which means different things to different people. Analysts often define job satisfaction with reference to the needs and values of individual and the extent to which these needs and values are satisfied in the workplace. In the context of this work, job satisfaction could, therefore, be seen as a worker's sense of achievement and success. It is generally linked with productivity as well as worker's personal well-being. It implies doing a job the individual enjoys, doing it well, and being suitably rewarded for the worker's efforts. It further implies enthusiasm and happiness with one's job. This attitude can be induced by some factors which can be classified into extrinsic and intrinsic variables. This position is espoused by Syptak, Marsland & Ulmer (1999). Some important dimensions of job satisfaction have been identified (Muchinsky, 2000). The first dimension of note is commitment. This is described as attachment to the goals and values of the employing organisation (Ezoem, 1995). Commenting further, he stated that commitment could be conceptualised as a form of psychological bond between workers and organisations. Meyer (1997) stated that organisational commitment reflects the employee's relationship with the organisation which usually, would affect the decision to either remain or quit the organisation. Three components of commitment are identification, involvement and loyalty (Ezoem, 1995). Identification refers to the worker's adoption of the goals and values of the organisation while involvement describes the extent to which a worker identifies psychologically with the job and the importance of work to one's self- image. Brown (1996) stated that people might be stimulated by and drawn deeply into their work, or they might be alienated from it mentally and emotionally. He, however, concluded by adding that job involvement is more strongly related to how people perceive their job and their approach to handling it. The third component, which is loyalty, refers to a feeling of affection for and attachment to the organisation (Ezoem, 1995). The second dimension to job satisfaction is performance. The word "performance" conjures the notion of accomplishment, attainment, or the execution of task (Ezoem, 1995). Similarly, "performance is synonymous with behaviour; it is what people actually do, and it can be observed" (Muchinsky, 2000:206). Performance comprises those actions that are relevant to the organisational goals and can be measured in terms of each worker's proficiency (that is, level of contribution by each worker). Performance could be evaluated in terms of being high or low; good or poor; and satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Usually, performance is considered high, good or satisfactory if the ratee had a positive score (Muchinsky, 2000). Conversely, performance is regarded as low, poor or unsatisfactory when the score is negative. The third dimension to job satisfaction is referred to as withdrawal behaviour (Muchinsky, 2000). This behaviour reflects the worker's withdrawal from noxious employment conditions and this could be expressed

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Journal of Education and Practice ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.7, No.21, 2016



through absenteeism (temporary withdrawal) and turnover (permanent withdrawal). The practical implication of the view expressed above is that workers who love or are satisfied with their jobs are more likely to make extra effort to get to work irrespective of any adverse conditions. On the other hand, when workers detest the conditions of their job they would most likely stay away from job on the slightest adverse condition (Muchinsky, 2000). Thus, job satisfaction refers to the pleasurable state of contentment expressed by the counsellor following the evaluation of the job he or she does or the activities the counsellor carries out in the school system.

Cognitive dissonance theory postulates that people would strive to minimize dissonance in their environment since the presence of dissonance would result in distress and dissatisfaction with a given situation and indeed, their job. Employees who experience less dissonance in their job would exhibit a higher level of job satisfaction (Okpara, 2002). The above assertion supports Schwepker (1999) who stated that employees desire consistency between their ethical value system and the ethical climate prevalent in their workplace. Thus, unethical behaviour by managers or supervisors provokes cognitive dissonance which, in turn, influences the level of satisfaction of workers on the job (Viswesvaran & Deshpande, 1996). The above conclusion correlates with practices by some school principals who force counsellors to engage in roles such as carrying full teaching loads, sitting on students' disciplinary committee and supervising students serving punishment. The consequence of the attitude of principals to the counsellors is that the latter experience role conflicts resulting in cognitive dissonance and this has negatively influenced counsellors' level of commitment to the counselling role.

2.

Statement of the Problem

Counsellors in Delta and Edo states, Nigeria, have been indifferent to guidance functions in the school system

because government and principals have not given the service the attention it deserves. A visit to most schools in

the area of study clearly shows that many schools have no counsellors and where they exist, the counsellor ?

students' ratio does not conform to national standards of one counsellor to five hundred students (1: 500). It has

also been observed that in most schools counsellors have no private offices where they can attend to their clients.

Rather, counsellors are located in the general staffroom where they attend to general school matters instead of

counselling issues. Where the counsellor is fortunate to have a small office, it lacks basic physical facilities.

Counsellors are compelled to carry a full teaching load, appointed as member of students' disciplinary

committee or made to supervise students serving punishments. Thus, most counsellors are experiencing role

conflict, the consequence of which is that most counsellors are groaning under the psychological anguish known

as cognitive dissonance. Though, most counsellors may not be satisfied on the job, but in order to retain their job,

in the face of no alternatives, counsellors have resigned to fate. Thus, discrepancy in role expectations creates

dissonance or conflict in the counsellor which threatens the psychological well-being or state of the worker. The

counsellor may mitigate the tension created by changing his or her attitude because of irrevocability illusion (that

is he has no alternative job). Thus, this study sought to find out the dimensions of cognitive dissonance the

counsellor experiences, his level of satisfaction on the job and the relationship between the experienced

dimensions of cognitive dissonance and the level of satisfaction. Against this background, the problem of the

study is "How satisfied are guidance counsellors with their job in the face of deprivations they suffer and the role

conflict experienced in the school system"?

2.1 Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive dissonance and level of

job satisfaction among counsellors. Specifically, the researcher investigated the:

1.

dimensions of cognitive dissonance experienced by counsellors;

2.

dimensions of job satisfaction experienced by counsellors;

3.

level of job satisfaction among counsellors;

4.

relationship between cognitive dissonance dimensions and level of job satisfaction among counsellors.

2.2. Significance of the Study The findings of this study would be of great benefit to counsellors, private and public employers of labour, managers of human resource, especially school principals and the general society. The findings of the study would provide insight to the counsellor who would come to the realization that cognitive dissonance has strategies that could help him become more effective in the discharge of the counselling role for which he trained. Dissonance strategies would enable counsellors to undermine the negative environmental factors that tend to dampen the morale of counsellors and hamper their commitment to the counselling role in the school system. For example, espousing dissonance strategies such as changing one of the dissonant cognitions, adding consonant cognitions and trivializing the import of negative environmental conditions under which the counsellor is currently serving in the school system, would help him to take counselling as the primary responsibility in the school. Mobilising the dissonance strategies outlined above would help the counsellor to restructure the cognition thereby mitigating the impact of role conflict currently experienced by the counsellor on the job.

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Journal of Education and Practice ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.7, No.21, 2016



Similarly, school principals would also benefit from the findings of the study. Counsellors and principals are partners in progress and as such the work of the counsellor complements that of the principal to the benefit of the learner. The findings of the study would expose the principal to the understanding that counsellors who are experiencing role conflicts would grapple with the psychological phenomenon known as cognitive dissonance; a condition which stimulates low level of satisfaction on the job. From the findings of the study a counsellor who is performing roles of counselling , teaching, sitting on disciplinary panel that administer harsh punishment on the same child he is to counsel, cannot experience high level of satisfaction on the job because he is caught in the web of multiple cognitions. Thus, principals would benefit from the knowledge of this study in that a satisfied counsellor would be more disposed to executing preventive guidance which would create good psychological climate for the principal to administer the school. No doubt, the services of the counsellor promote discipline in the school, which in turn, is the bedrock for learning.

2.3 Scope of the Study The study investigated the relationship between cognitive dissonance and level of job satisfaction among guidance counsellors. Only trained counsellors who are practicing in public secondary schools in Delta and Edo states were investigated.

In order to provide empirical basis to ascertain whether or not counsellors are experiencing conflict in their job, the dimensions of cognitive dissonance such as psychological tension, motivation to reduce tension, level of reward, forced compliance and phoney were investigated. Similarly, dimensions of job satisfaction such as commitment, involvement, loyalty, performance, absenteeism and turnover were investigated.

2.4 Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study.

1.

Which are the dimensions of cognitive dissonance experienced by guidance counsellors in Nigeria?

2.

Which are the dimensions of job satisfaction among guidance counsellors?

3.

What is the level of job satisfaction among guidance counsellors?

4.

What is the relationship between cognitive dissonance dimensions and level of job satisfaction among

guidance counsellors?

2.5 Hypothesis The study tested the following null hypothesis at (P. < 0.05). Ho1: There is no significant relationship between the dimensions of cognitive dissonance experienced by

guidance counsellors and their level of job satisfaction.

3.

Design of the Study

The design of the study is correlational survey. A correlational study is the research design in which the

investigator sets out to find the extent to which variation in one factor corresponds with variation in one or more

factors based on correlation coefficient. According to Hassan (1995:142), "A correlational study consists of

measuring one variable and then determining the degree of relationship between it and one or more other

variables". The use of correlation method is appropriate where the variables are complex and do not lend

themselves to experimental and controlled manipulation. Thus, this study attempts to determine the relationship

between the dimensions of cognitive dissonance and the level of job satisfaction among guidance counsellors.

3.1 Population of the Study The population of the study consisted of practising guidance counsellors in all public secondary schools including Federal Government Colleges and Demonstration Secondary schools in Edo and Delta states. Thus, the population of the study was 158.

3.2 Sample and Sampling Technique The sample of the study was made up of all practising counsellors in public secondary schools including Federal Government Colleges and Demonstration Secondary schools in Edo and Delta states. Since the population of 158 is small the entire population was studied. Thus, there was no sampling since all counsellors in the area of study were used.

3.3 Instruments for Data Collection Data for the study were collected using the Counsellors' Dissonance and Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (CDJSQ) developed by the researcher. The questionnaire had five sections (A-C). Section A concerns demographic data of the respondents. These included data on type of school, sex, age range, marital status and years of experience. Section B concerned some dissonance dimensions such as forced compliance; psychological tension; phoney;

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Journal of Education and Practice ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.7, No.21, 2016



level of reward; and motivation to reduce tension. Section C dealt with dimensions of job satisfaction such as commitment; loyalty; involvement; performance and desire to quit. In all, it was a 40-item instrument with Section B designed on a 4-point Likert scale with responses ranging from 4- Strongly Agree; 3- Agree; 2Disagree; and 1- Strongly Disagree. Section C is a scale designed on a continuum of 4 points with 1 being the least while 4 the highest response.

3.4 Validation of Instrument for Data Collection The instrument was subjected to face and construct validation. The instrument was presented to a specialist each in guidance and counselling, educational psychology from the Department of Educational Foundations and measurement and evaluation from the Department of Science Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who critically reviewed the items one after the other. Their views were collated and incorporated into the instrument that was used for data collection for this study.

3.5 Reliability of the Instrument To determine the reliability, the instrument was administered on thirty practising counsellors in Anambra state. The choice of Anambra state was informed by the fact that it is an educationally advantaged state. It is also one of the states that have considered it necessary to utilize the services of guidance counsellors in the school system (though all the counsellors are now saddled with full teaching load).

The decision to conduct the reliability test outside the area of study was to avoid contamination of the instrument. The scores of the thirty counsellors were collated in order to obtain the measure of internal consistency of the instrument using Cronbach alpha statistics. This yielded coefficients of .95, .95, for Sections B and C respectively. The coefficient for the entire instrument is .95. These co-efficients were high, implying that the instrument was good enough to be used for the study.

3.6 Method of Data Collection Data were collected from the responses of professionally trained and practising counsellors from public secondary schools within the area of the study. Considering the geographical spread, the researcher employed three research assistants with each covering two senatorial districts. The research assistants were professional counsellors too. Before the commencement of the administration of the questionnaire, the researcher organised an interactive session for the assistants. Each section of the instrument was explained to the assistants. Clarifications were made on the items which the assistants had difficulty with. Thereafter, copies of the instrument were handed to the assistants according to the proportion required for the districts. The instrument was administered personally by the research assistants and these were retrieved immediately. This was meant to prevent misplacement or contamination of the instrument or inputs from external sources.

3.7 Method of Data Analysis In analysing the data, percentage and the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) were used in answering the research questions. The scoring of the ratings on each item of the instrument was done using limit of real number. Thus, a mean score of 3. 00 and above was accepted as very high presence of the dimension; 2.00 to 2. 99 was accepted as high; 1.00 to 1.99 was accepted as low; and .01 to .99 was accepted as very low presence of the dimension.

On the other hand, the null hypothesis was tested using the multiple regression analysis. This statistics is appropriate because it is amenable to drawing a relationship (correlation) between the dependent and the independent variables. It was also applied in predicting the degree of dissonance and level of job satisfaction of counsellors in Nigeria.

4.

Results

The results of the study were presented in a logical sequence with the research questions presented first and this

is followed by the hypothesis.

4.1 Research Questions Research Question 1 Which are the dimensions of cognitive dissonance experienced by guidance counsellor? Table 1 below, contains the data that provide answers to research question 1

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